Yikes, that's terrible. When you had left off that last post as a bit of a cliffhanger, I had hoped for something exciting, but not this! I have to admit that dogs are my worst fear when riding some of the backwoods gravel here in Vermont. Get well!
Bob

Eee Gads!! That must have been a terrifying experience. Recover quickly you two and keep riding.

I wonder what set this dog off, and what his history is. The sheriff’s office paid a house call and sent me a photo so we could get a positive ID. He looks very nice, really.

Thank you, Kathleen. As far as the dog goes, I feel pretty philosophical about it. There’s just no way to completely escape risk, is there? I must have a few hundred thousand miles on a bike by now, and if this is the worst thing that happens to me, it’s a pretty good run. I’m sure we’ll both be a bit jumpy for awhile but it won’t keep us inside. I don’t think the virus will keep us totally housebound either unless we’re called on to stop even exercising outdoors. I expect to be back on the bike before long, once I heal up a bit.

A garden and raised beds! That sounds so therapeutic right now. I had one once myself many years ago. Take care, hi to Keith, thanks for checking in.

I absolutely love dogs, but at the same time I am terrified of them. Especially on the bike. I worry about friendly ones darting in front of me, chasing me and I have nightmares about nasty ones biting me. Your story has really shaken me up. Keith and I are so grateful you came out of it as well as you did. We are thinking of you, holed up and recovering. A hot tip from Dr. Keith, when a nasty piece of concrete jumped out and bit me (I am sure that is how it happened) it was raining lightly. Nothing in our first aid kit would stick, but green electricians tape worked a charm. There was some amusement about that in the Italian hospital. Hopefully a hot tip you will never need.

Keith and I have been avoiding riding for a bit. He has been concerned that I will pitch off my bike and this isn’t the time to wind up in the hospital. Today however we just decided that the health benefits outweigh the risks and we are going to cycle quiet byways near the house, avoid bike paths (too much close proximity to others) and relax. We had a beautiful ride along the waterfront, through a cemetery and exploring neighbourhoods. It was fantastic. It was a good break from the great garden project. We have dug out a chunk of lawn, put in raised beds and are going to grow vegetables (we hope...we are real beginners). We are pretty sure we won’t be flying to Europe in the fall as we don’t think this mess will be completely over by then. We hope we are wrong about that, but in the meantime I am thinking of buying denim overalls and a straw hat and hoping for an amazing fall harvest. It is a very engrossing project.

Take care you two. We wish you both a speedy recovery.

Ouch! Nasty-tempered loose dogs terrify me and the worst ones I've encountered (though I've never had such a *close* encounter) have been in BC. I was going to say "rural BC" but one was in Whistler, which is certainly not rural in my opinion.

I hope the dog's owner is somehow held accountable.

Spring or fall is definitely the time - and also east to west. My first time through here, 35 years ago, was in early June also and going the other direction. Between the heat and going the wrong way up Mitchell Grade it was almost too much.

Well congratulations for that. I could never pull off such a stunt. I’d probably brain myself.

That's hilarious!

Back in the early to mid 1970s in Richmond, KY, I commuted 10 miles of rolling hills to what was then the Lexington Bluegrass Army Depot. About a mile, maybe less, from the gate, there was a dog that would run out and snap at my right leg as I hammered going up the hill, swerving to keep it at bay. One day, I realized that I had my bike chain and lock hanging around my neck and shoulder as I was building speed to try and outrun the beast on the way up the hill, so I pulled it off and held it in my right hand by the lock awaiting the attack. I swung and whacked it across the snout. He ran off without a sound. Next day, I was ready again as he came charging out, snarling and barking, but he never got closer than about 25 feet away! Never gave me problems after that.

KY dogs are for real.

That’s funny. The opposite of green grass. The dogs are always scarier in another land. We’ve worried the most about dogs in Taiwan, the Balkans, and the huge sheep dogs in Spain. None of them ever turned out to be a problem for us though.

That said though, it’s definitely something to watch for here - especially in the rural, open western lands that we enjoy cycling in the most.

I’ve considered carrying dog deterrents on a bike (we actually did carry a high frequency sound emitter on our first tour of Taiwan), but I think I’m more likely to make things worse. Years ago I pulled out my frame pump to ward off a German Shepard, but stunned us both when I ran it through the spokes of my front wheel and crashed in front of him. He was so startled that he just ran off to tell his friends.

Workin’ on it as you speak.

This story is very sobering for all of us who ride where there be dogs. Here's to restful healing in a community that has shown you great kindness. Doctor Song is right, you're gonna live to be 100.

Hi, Rachael and Scott! I just felt sick reading about your dog encounter. A nightmare. I'm so glad you could get to the hospital as soon as you did and have medical care. I realized from your previous post that something had gone wrong and you mentioned a dog in a comment somewhere so I feared what was coming. I hope you have no complications with healing. Glad you have that nice little house. And all the blessings you listed are really little miracles.
Dogs are one of the reasons I never wanted to cycle in the USA. But when you are back on your bikes and the borders are open, I can assure you German dogs are very well behaved. I never ever was chased or even barked at by a dog here.

Luckily it happened in a town that actually had a hospital. Since blood wasn't gushing from the wound I rode around trying to find a motel first. It was at least an hour and several miles before I found an available room in touristy Wickenburg, AZ. It was only after seeing the gash in a mirror that I decided to go to the ER. Here's the story and the picture:
https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/fullhouse/wickenberg-arizona-where-a-long-day-has-mercifully-ended/